This week I’m recommending what could very well be my all-time favorite K-Drama, though to be honest, I’m not sure I’m ready to commit to one singular dramas as the best ever. However, if I ever were ready to make such a commitment, The Master’s Sun would definitely be at the top of my list of candidates because it is absolutely fantastic!
Originally on SBS from August – October, 2013, The Master’s Sun is the most recent work of the Hong Sisters which, if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know exactly how I feel about them. (They’re my favorite drama writers of all-time, and yes, I am ready to make that commitment.) As one would expect from the Hong Sisters, The Master’s Sun is a romantic dramedy in which a down-and-out heroine by the name of Tae Gong Sil (Gong Hyo Jin) who meets and eventually falls for a rich yet wounded jerk of a CEO by the name of Joo Joong Won (So Ji Sub). While at first glance this may sound like any other romantic comedy out there, the Hong Sisters gave The Master’s Sun a definite twist by adding a fantastic element of horror that immediately takes this drama from ordinary to extraordinary.
You see, Tae Gong Sil isn’t any ordinary girl. Years ago she suffered a serious, life-threatening injury and when she finally recovered, she realized she could see ghosts. As if the ability to see ghosts wasn’t bad enough, these spirits are drawn to Gong Sil and frequently beg her to help them find peace in the afterlife. Literally haunted by countless ghosts, Gong Sil’s once successful and promising life has crumbled into a desperate struggle to find peace in a never-ending nightmare. It’s during one of these missions to help the unsettled deceased that Gong Sil stumbles upon Joo Joong Won and makes a surprising discovery. For some unexplained reason, the slightest touch of Joong Won makes the ghosts around Gong Sil instantly disappear. As you can imagine, finding a way to escape the relentless requests of the dead is like finding an oasis in the desert for Gong Sil and she immediately clings to her new-found peace. Of course Joong Won isn’t happy to be Gong Sil’s new obsession but he decides to keep her around once he realizes Gong Sil’s oddities may be able to help him solve a mystery that’s been plaguing him for years.
I’d honestly love nothing more than to dive into the ins and outs, plot twists and side characters of this drama because they’re all just as interesting as the main characters and story-line but I don’t have time to write a novel right now and I really hate spoiling dramas for those who haven’t seem them yet so I’ll stop here. Let me just say that The Master’s Sun is seriously one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched. The chemistry between Gong Sil and Joong Won is fantastic and their relationship as the story progresses is such that you find yourself cracking up and swooning all at the same time. The second lead, a serious head of security with a soft spot for the sweetly crazy Gong sil, Kang Woo (Seo In Guk), is adorable. The side characters range from sweet to sassy to down-right creepy and the ghosts themselves have such interesting stories to tell that you never really find yourself hitting that mid-drama slump. (You know, what I’m talking about right? When you reach that point in the drama where you could just skip all of the drama and get to the good stuff at the end…) When you add to all of that a slight element of horror that isn’t often seen in K-dramas, well, you’ve got yourself an instant winner.
For those of you who may have put off watching The Master’s Sun because it seems “too scary.” Let me reassure you, it’s not. The ghosts are only slightly creepy, when they’re first introduced, but they quickly shed their scary form and become nothing more than a silent supporting character that you can’t help feeling a bit sorry for and sometimes, you even find yourself cheering for them. If that’s not enough to convince you to give this drama a shot, let me just say that the interaction between Gong Sil and Joong Won is so fantastic that you quickly forget that they’ve been forced together by a bunch of ghosts. In fact, there will come a time, as you’re watching this drama, that you’ll find yourself wishing a ghost would suddenly appear, just to see how Gond Sil will react with Joong Won around. Oh! It’s so fantastic!
Moving on… The Master’s Sun is certainly a drama worthy of your time, whether you’ve watched it before or not. Personally, I’ve watched this drama multiple times and I’m still not tired of it. I love the combination of creepy, funny and adorable and I think this may be the best drama the Hong Sisters have written to date. I know it’s certainly one of my favorites but I’m terribly biased when it comes to the Hong Sisters so that might not be saying much. As always, I’d love to hear what you thought of the The Master’s Sun so be sure to leave me a comment below!
Yes, the only reason why I never watched The Master’s Sun is because I’m not brave enough to watching any horror or scary stuff. I’ve seen the first two episodes already (with husband by my side and before night time) and while the graphics are really fake, I still get the shock of my life. Perhaps, I’m one of those people who are the exception. I don’t want to watch this show alone! I think the main lead, Joong Won, is a jerk so far and Gong Sil really looks crazy! Why is she going everywhere in a nightgown? I can understand that her life is different than anyone elses, but I don’t see why she needs to dress like that even in public.Thinking of this drama requires bravery on my part. I’ll be slowly watching this one.
I think the first few episodes are the scariest. I’m not sure if you just kind of get used to the ghosts after a while or if they decided to tone it down as the story goes on but it seemed to me like the creepy went away as you watched it. I hope you can find the courage to get through it because it really is a fantastic drama but if you can’t, don’t feel bad. I’m still trying to bring myself to work my way through The Walking Dead. No matter how hard I try, I end up chickening out after an episode or two and have to take a break before I attempt to watch any more. Ironic, don’t you think? 😉
Haha – My husband thinks The Walking Dead is so fake that he laughs at all the scenes. Well, I’m not going to try with that one. I will slowly finish the drama and I usually turn away when I think there’s a scary part.
Oh, and for anybody who likes The Master’s Son drama, they should also check out the 2011 movie, Spellbound, starring Son Ye Jin and Lee Min Ki. Only, Lee Min Ki doesn’t have any power to stop ghosts from coming, but he is a magician. Son Ye Jin also sees ghosts and can’t get a steady job. She’s basically a loner until she realizes that there is hope that she can lead a semi-normal life. I thought it was a cute story despite me being scared to watch it.
Omo! That sounds amazing! I’m gonna have to go watch that one now! Thanks so much for the suggestion! It sounds fantastic! 🙂
So I just finished watching Spellbound and I have to say, it was so good! Cute, funny and slightly creepy… Can you get any better? I loved it! Thanks for the recommendation, it was fantastic! 😀
I’m glad you like it!
BTW, sort of off-topic from the spotlight drama, but Viki is doing an ad-free weekend with the Taiwanese drama, “Inborn Pair.” That could be a nice weekend drama to watch too this week. 😀
I guess you can tell I really like Taiwanese dramas now. 🙂
I was watching “Love Family” starring Chris Wang. Another goofy drama…I guess most Taiwanese dramas are pretty Goofy and unrealistic?
I’m not an expert in Taiwanese dramas but from my personal experience, yes, most of them are incredibly goofy and unrealistic. As long as you’re willing to put up with a lot of scenarios that will make you roll your eyes and characters that will make you cringe, you can find a whole bunch of great T-dramas! It just seems like a lot of people are put off by the high level of ridiculous that comes with them. Still, I’m a fan and I usually have at least one T-drama I’m working my way through at any given time. I may have to give these two a shot so thanks for the tip! 🙂
You watched more T-dramas than I have! This is my basic observation. Everything is very unrealistic. In “Love Family,” a CEO takes like 100 days off from his company to find his “true love,” one of the sisters at a family resort. How realistic is that? And, the guy takes his “assistant” with him too (who happens to be the same actor Leo in “Fall In Love With Me”).
*Sigh* I can just list the crazy things that happen in the dramas, but the list is probably endless.
BUT — the great reason to watch would be the romantic tension between the leads. If there wasn’t, there is no point in watching.
Haha! I can’t believe I’ve watched more T-dramas than you! I’ve only watched a handful! Still, all of the ones I have watched have been pretty full of crazy so it seems to be the norm. You are right about the romantic tension between the leads though… If a T-drama doesn’t have that, there’s probably not going to be a lot that keeps you interested because the rest of it is going to be too far out there to be believable. I think it’s an unwritten rule in T-dramaLand.
True, true about the romance! I only recently started watching T-dramas. My husband thinks I’m a traitor, but why not watch T-dramas? haha…
I don’t see how it could be considered traitorous to watch T-dramas! I watch T-drams, K-dramas and J-dramas all the time! You’re simply expanding your horizons, that’s all. 🙂
Anything is possible as long as you are willing to read subbies (subtitles). 😀
My husband can’t read subtitles that well and gives up.
LOL! It must be nice to be able to watch dramas without subtitles! (I vow to get there one of these days!) I suppose now he knows what it’s like for those of us who have to watch EVERYTHING with subtitles! Did you tell him he’d get used to it? I know I have! Now I feel funny if I sit down to watch something and I don’t need subtitles! It’s just kinda strange! Haha!
Hah, once you get to know him, you’d know that if he tried to read subtitles for a while, he falls asleep and then I end up watching it alone. I guess if it’s an action movie he’d be more awake, but still..I think that without subtitles, I can still get the gist of what’s happening way better than before. I remember watching Korean dramas without subtitles in Korea as it was airing and I had no clue what was going on unless my husband told me. Now, I know a lot of the common phrases. And with T-dramas, I do understand a good amount of it without reading the subbies, but I still need them!
Again, I’m jealous! If I tried to watch any Asian drama without subtitles, I’d be totally lost! I get a lot of the common phrases and such but when characters are in the middle of some heated discussion… WOOSH!… It all goes right over my head. Like I said, one of these days I’ll get there! (I hope!)
With dramas, sometimes if you even try to guess what they are saying, you might end up right because a lot of plot lines are so predictable! Yesterday, I was watching “Wild Chives and Soybean Soup” and my husband was washing dishes but the Ipad screen was facing me. He was able to describe what was happening without even looking at the screen. I was like, “You can write this stuff!”
You’re right about drama lines being predictable! So much of what is said in a drama has been said a thousand times before! I find myself able to predict what characters are going to say next and I don’t even speak Korean! (Does that mean I’ve watched one too many dramas? lol) On a totally different note, how far are in you Wild Chives and Soybean Soup? I’ve been watching it on those rare days I don’t have a drama I’m reviewing to watch. I like it but it’s taking me forever to get through it. I suppose that’s okay since it’s supposed to have 26 episodes, I just hate being so far behind. I may have to find the time to marathon it so I can catch up! Anyway, back to predictable writing. I find myself watching dramas and thinking to myself, “Wow! You’ve really picked up on a lot of Korean!” and then I go to watch a reality show or an interview with idols or something and I hear actual, conversational, unscripted Korean and I’m like, “Nope! You don’t know a thing!” Haha!
I’m so lucky in that I can just have quick access to my husband to ask him what something means. Yesterday, however, a character on TV was mouthing something at the table during breakfast and my husband couldn’t figure it out, yet the person who subtitled it obviously knew what the character said. Ha!
Oh, I love the drama “Wild Chives and Soybean Soup.” Other than “Fall In Love With Me” episodes being available on Mondays, I am also watching “Wild Chives and Soybean Soup” on Mondays and Tuesdays. That would be an indication that I love the drama a lot because I can’t wait! Well, some people have mixed reviews about it with major complaints including how the young child actor, Lee Won Geun, who plays the main male lead is physically taller and has a different personality than the older actor who plays the main lead, Min Nam Gung. It seems like the main female lead, Lee So Yeon’s Busan accent isn’t as great as her childhood counter part, Yoon So Hee, who has a natural Busan accent. I have fun imitating the Busan accent though. Love the child actors! Personally, I’m there for the story line~ It might not be as exciting plot-wise after they grow up, but I am still really engaged in it. Of course, there are cheating plot lines and mother’s meddling into their children’s love lives, the typical stuff we see all the time. But, I’m really into this drama and sadly, there’s not many people I can talk to about it. I love a lot of the actors in this one. BTW, this is a 50 episode drama…so every week is torture as I wait for next week’s episodes.
I thought it was a 50 episodes drama as well but the last time I checked DramaFever, it said it was only 26. (Not that DF is the ultimate authority on anything but still…) I am enjoying the story and I hate that I’ve got so many other dramas that demand my attention before I can actually get to this one. I guess that means reviewing four dramas at a time may be a bit too much. LOL! I’m still stuck in the childhood episodes so I have nothing to say about the differences between the child and adult actors but I’m sure that time will come… Eventually. I’d love to chat about this one with you but I’m so far behind, I’d probably bore you. Still, I’m here if you need me! 🙂
haha – That’s okay, nothing major really happened so far in the adult stages so the childhood part remains the most exciting part. I just love the child actors. 😀 I think the fact that young Jang Gook (Yoon So Hee) became attractive because she could speak the Busan dialect in Seoul. Wohoo, I’m sure you’ll watch it eventually. I’m really crazed about it so I marathoned it until episode 12. haha.
What the heck. I guess Dramafever was right. I saw a news article how they are scaling back the 50 episodes to 26 due to low ratings! What? *angry face*
Or not? I’m confused…maybe it isn’t cut. I’ll need to do more research.
Let me know when you get the “official” word. I’m going to be sad if they scaled back due to low ratings. I know I’m not that far into it but I’m loving it so far. The kids are so cute, they’re the reason I fell in love with the drama. Maybe the adult actors just can’t compare to the kids? That would be kinda sad, don’t you think?
I LOVED this drama. It had the right mixture of all the different elements of a K-drama. It is definitely one of my favorites. I was sad when it ended, but the ending was satisfying.
If you like the supernatural element of this and enjoy looking at Taecyeon from 2PM, I recommend you try “Who Are You”. It was better than I’d expected and who doesn’t drool a little over Taecyeon?
I did enjoy Who Are You but I watched it the same time I was watching The Master’s Sun so it kind of got overshadowed. I did enjoy watching Taecyeon though. At the time, I had just finished watching him in We Got Married: Global Edition and had a new-found appreciation for his adorableness. I have to admit, he does make me smile! 😉